It has been an interesting summer so far and we are only about halfway through it.
Summer used to be that warm time of the year when one could sit outside, slathered in protective potions to ward off bugs and gamma rays from the sun, have a good book to read (prompted by Canada Reads), listen to some tunes of yesteryear, sip on a brewski, and not be bothered by the politicians who were also at the beach or flipping burgers at a barbecue unless you eschewed flipping pancakes at the Calgary Stampede and were pointedly elsewhere.
On the bug front, what happened to our plague of shadflies? It was like there was a token hatch, just enough for the baby birds to eat, hardly enough to justify complaints about the smell on Main Street, but enough for the artists to freshen up the images on signs and murals. Fish flies were bountiful, l but I don’t think we want to rename our town as the Fish Fly capital of Northeastern Ontario.
The Warriors launched their new dragon boat, ‘Spirit’ during a brief evening rain shower but this was complimented by a rainbow just as our MP Anthony Rota ended his inspiring greeting. He’s still ‘the speaker’ in my mind.
CBC radio reruns some of their shows and replays interviews in the summer giving vacationers a chance for enlightenment or chuckles at what we can discuss on the national radio before Pierre axes the corporation. Healthcare was discussed but few solutions were offered. The Capital Gains tax was explained a number of times with the conclusion that it was confusing, but the government knew what it was doing. Trust me, said the finance minister.
A series of interviews with young women who claimed they were giving up sex, marriage, and childbearing, may be a sign of the times – economically and environmentally - but I was fairly certain this would not impact me. The Phytophthora blight on cucumbers is another matter.
Then the LCBO employees went on strike, and even with forewarning, I may have underestimated a) my consumption rate, or b) how long Doug will let our desperate need for premixed booze become available with a fill-up at Esso, Shell, or a charging station be a settlement issue. I am wondering whether there will be a discount on the beverages at the gas stations to our west.
It looked like a promising summer for sports as our footballers did quite well even though they were eliminated. The Open is being played, the Olympics are coming from France, and the Blue Jays, well, oh well, next year.
Then all mayhem broke loose at the Republican rally where there was an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. I was watching the CTV news when the ‘breaking news’ interrupted the broadcast. The news program had no details at this time (I suppose they were trying to verify everything). My first reaction was what kind of a stunt is he pulling now? Then, as the Secret Service people piled on, I realized this was real.
Interviews on news radio show days later followed: a number of people said they had had the same reaction as my first thought - it was fake news. Maybe it is a healthy thing that we question the ‘news’ that we see, not only on broadcast news but on all social media. And yet, days after the event, rumours are still flying about, unchecked, about the shooter, his motives, and his politics. Smug, above the border, immune from the Second Amendment, ("A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.") we pretend that we are safe from these events, conveniently forgetting attempts and threats to our politicians.
Calls to ‘tone down’ the rhetoric may work for a while, but I fear we will soon be back to politics as usual. Chrystia, don’t be alarmed: it was only a figure of speech about Justin throwing you under the bus. Although, you should continue to look both ways before crossing the street. Even our city councillors seem to have reconciled to working with each other in a non-gender-specific way.
The homeless are still with us but it is easier to cope with the heat than with the cold, however one still needs shelter. And food. Not to worry, we will have this under control before winter or as soon as we solve the opioid problem, which is a social, perhaps mental health problem, coupled sometimes with homeless, unemployment, lack of affordable rental units, which are all part of the provincial or federal governments’ responsibilities. I mean, what can a small city do?
I do like the new mural.
OMG, we still have August to go. . .
